What Could Be
by We Are Legion
Summary: After Harima moves in with Yakumo and Sarah, Sarah tries her hardest to get her best friend and Harima together. Takes place near the end of the manga, and will continue onwards after that.
1. New Living Arrangements

**So this is my first story ever written, not sure how it'll turn out, but I guess that's up to you guys with the reviews right? Story takes place when Harima moves in with Yakumo and Sarah, and will mostly be a Harima and Yakumo pairing, since I just like those two characters that much. Spoilers are here since it takes place near the end of the manga. Story...technically AU, I suppose, because I was thinking about doing Harima's last year in high school.**

**So disclaimer: I don't own School Rumble or anything in its universe.**

**Please read and review, any criticism is good. One question in particular I have is: Did I write enough for this to be considered a chapter? If not, then I'll probably spend a bit longer on chapter 2, so people can read more. Anyways, here we go.**

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**Chapter 1**

**New Living Arrangements

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"Phew...I'm saved."

For the first time that day, Harima Kenji finally felt his luck beginning to pick up. After being kicked out by his cousin, he had thought that at least Ojou would let him stay at her place.

_It's not fair! I got kicked out because of this pretend engagement that me and Ojou had to get, the least she could do is give me a place to stay! _Harima thought as he walked alongside Sarah. _Come to think of it, I really am lucky that Sarah-san saw me saving her friend; otherwise I'd probably have to live out on the streets again._

The more and more Harima thought about it, the more it seemed like too much of a coincidence. Having _her_ reject his attempt to stay at her place was hardly surprising, but what happened after really made him wonder. Inaba Miki, a girl he vaguely recognized as being in the same class as Imouto-san, had come running to him for help against some stalker. Beating up the stalker turned up even more coincidences. Sarah Adiemus, dressed completely in her nun clothing, had appeared to reward him for beating up the stalker.

_Too lucky...nah, I'm just thinking too much._

As they walked down the streets, Harima began to recognize the scenery. This tree, that bush, everything seemed somehow familiar. They were moving awfully close to..._No, there's no way we could be heading there. I don't even know where the church is...this is probably just a shortcut or something._ Still, Harima was weary. Who knew what some cruel god could be planning?

At last, the two came to a stop in front of a very familiar home. And outside, was a very familiar figure.

"So, here is my home," Sarah said casually, gesturing toward Tsukamoto Yakumo and the Tsukamoto residence.

Harima stood silent for a moment, eyes wide in shock. To some people, it might even look like his eyes popped right out of his head. Yakumo, shocked in her own right, could do nothing but stand and watch as this whole event unfolded. Only Sarah seemed completely at ease with what was going on, with a sweet smile on her face and twinkle in her eye.

"Huh?" both Yakumo and Harima said, barely managing to say it.

"Wait, wait, wait! What's going on? What about the church?" Harima exclaimed. Although not the sharpest person, he could easily see where this might be going, and the next words out of Sarah's mouth confirmed it.

"I've been living here since the spring. Right, Yakumo?" Sarah answered, smiling. Yakumo couldn't seem to find the right words, and only nodded at her question.

It was almost too much for Harima. True, he did need a place to stay, and this house was a really nice place, but it didn't feel right somehow. "How am I supposed to stay here with you two?" he asked with the last of his resolve.

But Sarah was already prepared. Placing her hand on her forehead and feigning weakness, she countered. "Ah, but such an uneasy feeling having two weak women live without a man around."

"Ok, ok." Harima said, giving into his need to live in a decent home. _Still, I should at least ask her first, since it is her home_, he thought to himself.

"Then, Imouto-san…just for a while…"

But as he spoke, Yakumo felt Sarah nudging her from behind. A faint blush spread across her face as she answered, "Ah, yes. It's alright…"

Sarah clapped her hands and quickly motioned Harima inside. "Since Tsukamoto-san is in America, I'm living in her room now. So you can just go to the guest room, you know where that is right?"

"Ah, yes. I'll just go put my things down. Thanks again." Harima replied as he started to head inside the house. It really wasn't a bad arrangement. As he opened the door, a black silhouette brushed by his leg. Passing Yakumo's cat Iori, he bent down to pat its head, while thinking about this situation he'd gotten himself into. _Even if Tenma-chan has gone to America with Karasuma, I can at least stay here and take care of her sister and friend._ _But I really shouldn't be thinking about these things though, I made my choice already._ After a while, he let Iori go and moved his way to the guest room, realizing that he already knew where it was, as he had lived here for a brief time during winter break.

However, what Harima didn't realize was that his two new housemates were still outside, deep in conversation about their new living arrangements.

"Now Yakumo, he's living with us now, so that'll make your chances that much higher. Just remember to be bolder, otherwise he'll never know how you feel," Sarah said with a commanding tone.

"Ah, but Sarah–" Yakumo started to say.

"No buts Yakumo. Don't worry, I'll be there to help both you and Harima-senpai. Come on, let's help him unpack," interrupted Sarah as she nudged her best friend into the house. As the pair walked in, Sarah could not help but feel glad about the small smile and blush that suddenly appeared on Yakumo's face.

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**Well, there it is. Please review! Thanks!**


	2. What A Busy Afternoon This Is

**So here it is, Chapter 2! Thanks for the reviews, I made it a bit longer this time. Well, nothing more to say, really. Going back to what I said last chapter about writing his last year of school: ehhhhh, not entirely sure anymore. Writing this one made me realize that if I write so much for just a "day", then it might take forever to do a year, unless I just skip to important dates like sports festival, cultural festival, exams, etc. Maybe that could work too. I'm not too familiar with the Japanese school system though, so if anyone could give message me with details about it, just like when breaks are, how long school lasts between exams, and the like. I assume its something like, first term - break - second term - break - third term - end of year break, with exams at the end of each term.  
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**Just the usual disclaimer stuff: don't own any of the original words depicted in this fanfiction, etc., etc.**

**Also, another review-specific question again! In addition to whatever else you want to say about my writing, do I manage to keep the characters _in character_? As in, not OOC. Of course, you don't need to answer this, and can review any way you want. Much appreciated either way. Let's start Chapter 2 then!**

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**Chapter 2**

**What A Busy Afternoon This Is  


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When the pair of girls entered the guest room of the Tsukamoto household, it became clear that Harima himself had also just entered. The green bag he previously had slung over his neck was now spread out across the floor, spilling out all of his possessions. As she watched him running around cleaning up the mess of clothes, sketchbooks, manga, and all of his editing tools, Yakumo couldn't help but smile. Sarah looked at her and immediately understood why. _I guess even with me here, this house was getting too quiet for her._

Holding back a laugh, Sarah spoke up, "Harima-senpai, do you want us to help you settle in?"

Looking up with an armful of ink bottles, Harima finally realized that the other two residents were here. While he knew that it would take him quite a while to get everything cleaned up and in place, he also felt that he shouldn't really trouble them. After all, they were already letting him live here without asking anything in return; it wouldn't be right to ask them to help him unpack.

"No, its fine. You're already giving me a place to stay, so I shouldn't bother you two with this," Harima answered as he placed the bottles into the desk at the side of the room.

This time, Yakumo answered. "It's ok, Harima-san. Sarah and I don't have anything else planned right now anyway…"

_Good job, Yakumo! She's finally taking my advice, _Sarah thought to herself. She secretly decided to congratulate Yakumo later, but at the moment, just kept the thought to herself and grinned.

"Sorry about this Imouto-san, Sarah-san. Then can you two pick up some of my clothes while I get the rest of my sketches," Harima replied wearily.

With the three of them now cleaning and unpacking, Sarah couldn't but notice how happy Yakumo looked. _I'm probably the only one that can notice though_, she thought, watching her fold Harima-senpai's clothes. But when Sarah turned to look at Harima, she noticed something else. As he ran around picking up loose pens and pencils, it seemed to her that he looked a bit sad. _Maybe it's just me though. I don't know Harima-senpai that well, but it just seems that he's feeling down about something._ As she thought about this, she couldn't help but remember what Yakumo had told her about him and Tenma. _So that's it then…_

Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime of clothes and writing instruments, everything was in its proper place. Glancing a look at the clock, Yakumo realized that it was nearly time for her to start making dinner. "Sarah, Harima-san. I need to start cooking dinner, please excuse me," she said as she stood up and left, but not before giving Sarah a meaningful glance.

_She probably wants to do cook something special for his first night here_, Sarah thought cheerfully.

As Harima stood up and began to follow her, no doubt in an attempt to help her, Sarah quickly waved him down. "Don't worry Harima-senpai. Yakumo can handle dinner. We can just wait here for a little bit, right senpai?" she said in her usual cheerful mood.

"Ah, if you say so. I don't want to work Imouto-san too hard I just moved in too!" Harima said, laughing a little bit.

She hadn't planned on being alone with Harima-senpai, but it was the perfect opportunity to help Yakumo. She already knew that Harima had been in love with Tsukamoto-senpai; everyone had known, but she had already left after Karasuma. Yakumo had told her that Harima let go himself, and had even taken Tenma to the airport. _He might still be in love with Yakumo's sister, but now that she's gone, he will have to move on. It's the perfect opportunity! _Sarah thought, mentally smiling to herself. _Hrmm, but he did seem a little sad earlier…maybe he is still sad about losing Tsukamoto-senpai. I probably shouldn't push too much then._

As she was thinking how best to proceed, however, Harima suddenly spoke up. "So, Sarah-san, how come you started living with Imouto-san? Did you end up being kicked out of your place too?"

Although he didn't initially mean it as a joke, Sarah laughed regardless, which only led to a sheepish grin from Harima. "Since Tsukamoto-senpai had left to America, I thought Yakumo would be too lonely around here by herself. After all, she has been with her sister all her life, and I didn't want her to be alone so suddenly. Besides, Yakumo and I are best friends so it's only natural, right?" she answered, laughing a little bit.

"Ah, I see. I guess that's what best friends would do for each other. I wouldn't really understand to well, though, I wouldn't say I have that many friends, let alone a best friend," Harima said without a hint of hesitation.

"Ehhhhh? But what about all your classmates?" Sarah asked.

"Well, I can stand them, but I'm not exactly friends with them. I'd have to say that only Ojou and her group are my friends. Megane too, but most of the time he's just too bothersome. Hmph, a year ago, it was so different. I guess it's all thanks to Tsukamoto though…" Harima responded, sinking his head a little bit as his voice trailed.

At first, Sarah didn't know what to say. _So, he really did love her that much. But he needs to move on, she's already gone to Karasuma. _"Is that so? Well, it's alright to miss Tsukamoto-senpai. We all do, but we just need to believe in her. She probably wouldn't want us to worry or be sad that she's gone, right?" Sarah asked cautiously.

Harima quickly looked up at this. For a while, he considered what she had said, but in the end, he could only mutter "I suppose" before sinking his head a little bit more.

It was almost depressing to watch Harima slump over when Tenma was mentioned, but Sarah felt that this needed to be done. "You loved her, didn't you? Tsukamoto-senpai, I mean."

Upon hearing those words, Harima recoiled a bit, but then remembered that Imouto-san had already known. No doubt she told her best friend about it. But he knew that right now, after just solving one crisis in his life, he didn't want to immediately bring up _that_. "Yes, I did, but I don't really want to talk about it. I've been through this in my head a million times, and even Itoko tried to convince me otherwise, but I'm not entirely sure I'll ever be able to love anyone else, so there," he answered with a "that's final" tone in his voice. For his part, the conversation had indeed already ended.

But to Sarah, a very crucial opportunity just appeared. Hearing the last few words out of his mouth, she carefully thought to herself. _But I can't just outright tell him Yakumo's feelings. She has to do that herself. But I can help him consider it more. Yes, that's it!_ After a short pause, Sarah finally responded, "Then…what about Yakumo?"Although she tried, she couldn't hold back the small blush spread across her cheeks, from having to be so direct in her friend's love life.

For a while, he didn't respond. Sarah glanced at him, still blushing, to see that he was actually deep in thought. _Yes! I did it, he's actually considering Yakumo as someone that he can love!_ Although she couldn't show it physically, she was mentally pumping her fists and yelling. That is, until she heard his response…

"Oh, well, of course Imouto-san is my friend. What kind of question is that?" Harima answered, giving Sarah a puzzled look.

It took a few moments for Sarah to register what he said. _What kind of response is that? So he only thinks of Yakumo as a friend? Where did that come from? Wait. Did he just completely block out our conversation and go back to the last one? That has to be it! I can't believe him. _She mentally sighed to herself. _Well, this is as good of a point as any then…_, but before she even opened her mouth, Harima continued to speak.

"Well, I guess it would be kind of confusing. It was only luck that I met with Imouto-san, but thanks to her, my career as a mangaka really took off. So I guess you could say that, in a way, she is my best friend!" Harima said, laughing a little bit. It really was an awkward conversation for him, but he really did feel at ease talking to Sarah about this. Maybe it was because she was a sister of the church, or maybe because she was just an easygoing person, but it didn't really matter. It was only Sarah, after all.

But she had felt something completely different from those words. _There is hope then. He just needs a little push. But how? Only one way I guess, _she thought, now trying really hard to hide the red spreading across her face. It was even hard to look Harima in the eyes when she spoke, "So, um, Harima-senpai. About what we were talking about earlier…are you sure you can't ever love again?"

Harima could only look at her, a little puzzled and a little shocked that she decided to go back to this topic after what he had said. Mentally, he made a note of how determined she was of prying into his love life, however screwed up it had turned out to be, but determination wasn't enough to make him want to talk about this. "Sarah-san-" he started.

Suddenly, though, she directed her gaze straight toward him. _No! I can't let him run away again! You have to do this Sarah!_ she thought to herself, urging her on in what needed to be said. _I have to help Yakumo be happy, and to do that, Harima needs to realize she's there! _

"Are you sure, senpai? Not even to those close to you?" she asked, leaning forward slightly and still gazing determinately at Harima.

Although Harima began to edge backwards, away from Sarah, she didn't notice as she began speaking again. But luckily, Harima was spared when Yakumo abruptly slid open the door. "Ah, Sarah, Harima-san. Dinner is ready, sorry it took a while. I didn't really know what to make for all three of us…" she said, looking away.

"Well, it's time for dinner then!" Sarah said cheerfully, standing up. As she and Yakumo left the room. Almost as an afterthought, she lagged behind a little bit. Out of earshot of her best friend, she stuck her head back inside the room and spoke one last time with Harima, smiling between every word, "Just think about it…alright, senpai?" With that, she turned around and hurriedly followed after Yakumo, not noticing the expression of horror on Harima's face. _Well, I think I got him thinking about her, at least, _she thought happily to herself. _It's probably better not to tell Yakumo though, she probably won't like that I jumped into her affairs so directly._

When she finally reached the dining room, Yakumo was waiting for her. On three separate plates was pasta with soy beans and sausage. Sarah gave Yakumo a questioning look when the latter responded, "I know I don't usually cook this, but I remember it was the first time I made something for Harima-san. I'm not too sure what else he wanted to eat so..."

"So you wanted to cook him the same thing, right?" Sarah said, finishing Yakumo's thought. She placed one hand on Yakumo's shoulder and gave her friend a sincere smile. "Good job, Yakumo. I'm sure he'll enjoy it a lot."

Before the younger Tsukamoto could respond, though, Harima ambled into the room, a bit more dazed and cautious than usual. However, this went unnoticed by the other two inhabitants, who were waiting patiently for him to sit down before eating, a bit embarrassed that he might've heard their conversation. Staring at the pair for a moment, he slowly chose a seat closer to Yakumo before sitting down. For all people involved, it certainly seemed like an awkward moment, and probably would have continued to be if Harima didn't notice the food on his plate.

"This is…?" Harima exclaimed, apparently shocked at the food on his plate. The sudden sound and gesture were enough to make both girls twitch in fear and stare at him. They were even more shaken when he started to eat, as he shoveled the pasta into his mouth with hardly any manners at all.

As if to reassure Yakumo, in between forkfuls of pasta, sausages, and beans, he was able to say, "You made this again, Imouto-san? Your cooking is so good!"

Hiding her blush, but looking pleased nonetheless, Yakumo began eating. Following her lead, Sarah did so as well. The rest of dinner went by with hardly a word out of anyone, aside from the loud chewing from Harima. Finally, he pushed away his third plate and said, "Wow, that was the best dinner I've had in a while. Thanks, Imouto-san."

"It was no problem, Harima-san," she spoke as she stood up. Blushing, she stacked their plates and forks and walked into the kitchen.

Noticing that she was again alone with Harima, Sarah began to think to herself. _Hrmm, well he did compliment her during dinner, but I guess anyone would. Maybe I should keep pushing on what we were talking about earlier._ "Harima-senpai-"

"Gah, uh. I should probably go help Imouto-san with the dishes," he said before she could finish. Immediately, he stood up and nearly ran into the kitchen.

_Eh? Well, that's one way to get those two to spend some time together, hehe. I should probably get to sleep early anyway, I think Mr. Chen said there would be some event at the restaurant tomorrow,_ she thought as she moved toward the kitchen.

_Ah, I better not disturb them too much. Don't want to interrupt their time together,_ she considered as outside the door. "Um, Yakumo. I'm going to take a bath and go to bed early, alright?"

"Ok, Sarah. Good night!" Yakumo responded, a bit louder than usual because of the water flowing from the sink.

"Good night Yakumo. Good night to you too, senpai," she yelled back as she left for the bath, cheerfully thinking about how successful her operation turned out to be.

But back in the kitchen…

"Imouto-san, I don't know what to do!" Harima cried out as he heard Sarah's footsteps disappear.

"Eh? Do about what, Harima-san?" Yakumo asked. He hardly ever confided in her anything aside from manga, so she felt a bit happier that he was now, despite his worried tone.

"Earlier, after we had finished unpacking, you left to cook dinner, right? Me and Sarah-san were just talking, you know, about regular stuff. School and friends and all that. But then…" he said, trailing off as his voice became softer and softer the more.

"But then?"

"I think Sarah-san is in love with me."

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**Oooooooooh. Now what's School Rumble without misunderstandings due to a certain character's idiocy? Rate and review! Thanks!**


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